


Golden Eyes

by Dead_Account1000



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alteans and Galra live in another dimension, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Familiar Kuro, Familiar Shiro, Kemonomimi, Kuro is Shiro's Doppleganger, Lance's Alternate Self is Altean and is named Lanceae, M/M, Shance Big Bang 2017, Tags to be updated as story progresses, Witch Hunk, Witch Keith, Witch Lance, Witch Pidge, demon kuro
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-16
Updated: 2018-06-13
Packaged: 2019-02-03 03:55:54
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,054
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12740532
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dead_Account1000/pseuds/Dead_Account1000
Summary: When he had first met Shiro, Lance had thought that his long wait was over and that he had finally found his Familiar. His Soul Bond had spark to life when the young Witch had met the two-tailed lion and Lance had almost cried in joy. There was only one problem.Shiro never reacted to Lance at all.Due to the Laws that dictated their land, Lance would not approach Shiro about the matter, not wanting to force an unwanted bond on his soul bound Familiar.Kuro was furious and alone in the Magik Dimension, his soul bound having fallen ill due to an unfamiliar disease wrecking havoc across his world. But his beloved Sorcerer told him one valuable piece of information before he passed.There was another that would take Lanceae's place as Kuro's other half, but that he had to traverse the Rift to get there.





	1. The Beginning

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! This was written for the Shance Big Bang! It written during a stressful time and will hopefully live up to your guys' standards!
> 
> Without further adieu, enjoy!

The little magic shop resided on a side street in the small town of Arus. The building in which it was located was unassuming in its appearance with its white side paneling and pale blue window frames. A navy awning hung over the sidewalk, a graceful arch of waterproof fabric that offered refuge to those escaping from the downpour. A wide variety of plants lined the flowerbeds on either side of the dark blue door, ranging from vivid flowers of red and blue to clusters of healing herbs. A soft lavender pillow could be seen through the window behind the colorful array, unused even to the untrained eye. Shelves of interesting and spectacular things could be seen through the glass, anything from glowing blue crystals to dream catchers to books and beyond. When first opening the little shop's door, quiet chimes ring from above as the door brushes against a silver and gemstone windchime. The senses are immediately greeted with the smell of a burning woodstove mixed with a striking dash of cinnamon and vanilla. An at home feeling overcomes all who enter, for all are welcome in the Blue Lion Magic Shoppe.

 

Lance couldn't help the small smile that spread across his face as the rain continued to pour, small rivers of water sliding down from the top of the awning before falling to the ground, splashing into the puddles below. Rainwater raced down the sides of the road, turning small pieces of debris into little boats. A few pedestrians ran on the other side of the street, desperate to get out of the downpour.

Sighing, Lance turned away from the window and made his way deeper into the magic shop. He cleaned a few things as he went, straightening jars of healing potions and dusting off dragon statues, getting small puffs of content smoke and air sent his way as the beings fell back asleep, grateful to be clean during their rest. Candles were relit as he passed them where they resided on rustic stands and wax covered shelves. 

He was in the back of the shop in the cozy living room attending to the woodstove when the tinkling of chimes reached his ears. Gently placing a small piece of wood into the stove, he shut the metal door with a soft click before brushing his hands off on his jeans and heading back out to the front. Lance was not expecting many customers today with how the weather was behaving, but was still more than happy to attend to the ones who braved the downpour. Walking between the soft curtains that separated the store from his living space, he looked up to see who had entered his shop. 

A bright smile stretched across his face as he watched Shiro walk towards him with an equally shiny grin, ears perked and tail swaying happily. Lance was excited because today could be the day where the unattached familiar asked to bond with him.

“Hey Shiro!” Lance crowed, walking around the counter to meet the dual haired man halfway.

“Hey Lance,” Shiro laughed, coming to a stop a few feet away. Lance stopped too, not wanting to push into the other's space unnecessarily. The happy feeling the familiar was exerting was contagious, increasing the witch’s mood tenfold. Lance was so wrapped up in the natural magic that he almost didn't notice the presence of another’s energy.

One he knew well.

The warm joy that was flowing through his veins turned ice cold, freezing him from the inside out. His once joyful expression froze in place, a painful undertone now showing through. His heart was under excruciating pain, his magic tentatively reaching out to see if the third presence was really there, if the open bond that Lance had felt since he first met Shiro was still there.

It wasn't. 

The pain was excruciating, the feeling of Lance's heart breaking and the soul bond shattering. The witch was in the worst pain he'd ever been in but he still managed to continue smiling as Shiro told him about his newly formed bond with his new partner, Keith. Lance nodded and hummed along, expressing the correct amount of excitement and happiness at the right intervals as Shiro talked about how happy and complete he felt now that he was connected to the other witch. Lance's expression became tighter and more strained as time wore on but his friend was oblivious, too lost in his own happiness to recognize the heartbreak painted across the shopkeeper's face.

Shiro was in the middle of telling Lance about the bonding ceremony they performed when the shop door opened, brushing against the small chimes above the door. The taller of the two turned to face the newcomer while Lance leaned around, strained expression relaxing just a bit at the sight of his best friend.

“Hunk!” Lance cried, maneuvering around Shiro to meet Hunk closer to the door. 

When Hunk turned around, he took one look at the forced smile on his friend's face and knew what to do. 

“Hey guys. I stopped by to get some ingredients for Pidge's potion. Keith was also looking for you Shiro. He was mumbling about side effects and demons earlier.”

Shiro's happy expression shone even brighter at the mention of Keith's name, already making his way towards the door.

“Thanks for letting me know, Hunk,” Shiro replied, reaching out to open the door. 

“No problem, my man. Also, congrats on the new bond.”

Shiro thanked Hunk again before walking out into the heavy drizzle, not seeming to mind getting soaked as he forgot to open his umbrella. 

Hunk made his way to the front where he flipped the _ OPEN _ sign to  _ CLOSED _ before locking the door. He turned around and made his way towards Lance where he proceeded to usher the lanky man towards the back of the store. Lights dimmed and curtains were drawn as the duo made their way through the shop. Hunk did not stop until they had passed through the curtains that lead into the back of the shop, immediately pressing Lance down onto the soft black couch in the middle of the room. Hunk moved to sit next to him, facing him as he sat. 

“What's wrong, Lance?”

Hunk watched the conflicting emotions pass over his friends face and before the other could deny that anything was wrong, he continued speaking.

“I know when something's wrong, and I have a feeling it has to do with Shiro. What happened?”

Lance’s face crumbled in the light of his friend's concern.

“My soul bond, he bonded to another. I thought that my wait was over when we met, that he'd recognize me as I did for him. But he didn't and no matter how long I waited, no matter how many hints I dropped to him, he never seemed to notice me or our bond at all.”

Hunk sat there in silence as Lance spoke out, wrapping an arm around his best friend's shoulders as he continued to speak out.

“Is there something wrong with me, Hunk? Am I just not destined to have a familiar? Am I not good enough for one? I mean, I don't blame Fate for not even looking my way-”

Hunk grasped both of Lance's shoulders in his hands and turned the other witch towards him.

“You are not worthless, you do deserve happiness, and you deserve a familiar. If Shiro was oblivious or ignorant enough to ignore the bond between you, then that's on him. You deserve the world, Lance, and I'm sorry I can't fix this for you.”

Hunk was frustrated, with himself, with Lance. But most of all, he was mad at Shiro. 

“Did you ever tell him?”

Lance shook his head as he sniffled.

“No. I figured since Familiars have to initiate the bond it was best to not say anything to him. I didn't want to make it seem like I was forcing him to be with me, not when he clearly didn't want to be. Goddess, knowing that hurts so much.”

Hunk enclosed his friend in a warm hug and let the man cry into his shoulder. He'd have to let Pidge know what was going on, and boy was he not looking forward to that.

_ “HE DID WHAT?!” _

Hunk flinched as Pidge stormed through the back door a few hours later, her energy pulsing with anger. Amber eyes flashed as they looked back and forth between the two other occupants in the room before settling on Lance, who laid curled up on the couch, blanket draped around him. He also had a warm cup of apple cider in his hands, something Hunk had whipped up early and was still sitting warm on the woodstove.

Hunk watched as their friend quickly made their way over to Lance, plopping down next to him while setting her bag aside.

“Tell me everything. Start from the beginning.”

So Lance did. He told her about how when he was younger and no creature would stay with him, none reaching out to that sacred connection between Witch and Familiar. That he never felt it with anyone, never felt that natural pull towards the one that Lady Fate has chosen specifically for you. Dozens had come, only to turn away when they realized that Lance wasn't the one they sought. He told them how he had learned to accept that, that he was one of the rare few that would never have that kind of bond with anyone. About how he had to learn the channel the excess energy into making potions, charms, and spells. How he resigned himself to living alone, to never trying to reach out and find someone, anyone, that would take him.

Until Shiro.

It had been a spark, a warm light igniting inside him and had reawakened that longing feeling that he had suppressed. The soul bond had flowed into him once again, telling him that  _ this  _ was the one he had been waiting for.  _ This  _ was the Familiar that Fate had promised Lance when he had been born. Finally Lance would feel complete, feel like the Witch he should be.

That chance was taken away when Shiro and Keith had be reintroduced.

Lance had understood the appeal of familiarity, the safety it could give you. And he understood why he would choose Keith over him. Keith was fiery, passionate, a good friend, and a hell of a good Fire Witch. He had also been in the same boat as Lance, never meeting his destined Familiar or one he could've trusted above all others.

Shiro had been that one.

When everything had settled back down after Pidge exploded, Lance sighed and turned to look out the window. His little garden could be seen, watered down in the continuing rain.

“I think I’m going to close up shop for awhile.”

If he had been looking towards his friends, he would’ve seen their shocked expressions but didn’t really need to when he could hear it in their voices.

“You’re doing  _ what?! _ ”

Lance took a deep breath before turning back to face them.

“I need to. If I don’t, I’ll just have to see them, see  _ him _ , again. It’s too soon. It took everything in me to not break down in front of Shiro earlier. I won’t be able to do it again.”

Pidge narrowed her gaze.

“What happens when they come looking for you?”

Lance just looked at her, slightly confused before comprehension settled into his mind.

“They’ll be too busy with themselves in the beginning to even notice me missing.”

Pidge snorted as she shook her head.

“You underestimate those two.”

Hunk had a frown on his face as he spoke.

“What about your customers? What about  _ you _ ? How are you going to be releasing your excess energy if you’re not making charms and potions?”

Lance gave his friend a small smile.

“I’ll still be making them, Hunk. I just feel like I need to take a break for awhile. Clear my head and stuff.”

The other two occupants grimaced at that. They knew that the other stuff was trying to get his broken heart to heal and to mend his broken soul bond. Pidge and Hunk shared a look as Lance turned back to face the window, their reflections bouncing off the glass. They made the silent pact to help Lance in whatever way they could.

 

When Kuro had first felt the pull, the Rift between dimensions opening, he took the opportunity to pull himself through. He shifted into his demon form before entering, his monstrous form sturdier than his human side and beyond anxious to get through to the other side. The Rift was the gateway between his world and the one where there was a broken soul bond between his alternate self and his Lance. Kuro could not believe his other self would not snatch up their Lance immediately, the chemistry unsurpassed in Kuro's own world when he had met Lanceae. But there was nothing left for him in this dying land, familiars rabid and witches that were being quickly picked off one by one from the Infection.

The Infection was an unknown disease that ripped it’s way across the land, killing everyone it touched in a slow and painful way. That wasn’t the worse part though.

It only targeted the Altean witches and bloodines. None with familiar blood were killed, only those who had the pure blood of the magical lines.

His own Lanceae had fallen ill just weeks before the Rift was opened.

 

_ Kuro kept clutching his other half's hands, bowing over the sickly figure tucked into the bed they were sharing. Lanceae smiled weakly at his familiar, his friend, his mate. There was such a great amount of fear and anger swirling around those yellow and black eyes, a feeling of denial and sorrow coming through the bond they share with each other. _

_ “You must leave here.” _

_ Kuro's eyes widening a fraction before narrowing and releasing a low growl. _

_ “We will find a cure, you will live! Just keep fighting!” _

_ Lanceae gave a small smile to his demon, giving Kuro's hands a light squeeze.  _

_ “My time will be up befor-” Lanceae broke off, pulling one hand away from his mate to cover his mouth. The hacking was bone rattling, ripping through the Altean as specks of blood began covering his hand and decorating their grey sheets in a chaotic pattern. After the fit ran its course, Lanceae couldn't help collapsing back into the mountain of pillows behind him, exhaustion taking over him. Kuro moved closer, coming to sit directly beside the dying Altean with arms wrapping around Lanceae's thin frame. It was getting harder and harder to let himself sleep, never knowing if this time will be the last closing his eyes. _

_ “My time will be up before it's found, Kuro.” _

_ Helpless anger was flickering across the familiar’s face. Bowing his head, Kuro focused on where their bodies were touching, with only the sheets between them. Lanceae was always warm, like the rays from Altea’s two suns. Life filling the small male up with light and happiness and warmth. _

_ Life had all but abandoned the young man next to Kuro. _

_ “I have something to tell you.” _

_ Kuro locked gazes with his witch, emotion flashing across his before finally settling on resigned sadness. _

_ “What is it, Lanceae?” _

_ The words were soft, floating on the air as they made their way to Lanceae. The pale man smiled softly, remembering the rough demon that used to be the man before him. _

_ “There's another me,” Lanceae spoke quietly, afraid of saying it any louder for fear of others hearing it. _

_ Kuro held a look of trying to figure out a perplexing puzzle, only for it to dawn on him. _

_ “You mean Earth.” _

_ Lanceae grinned weakly before continuing. _

_ “I knew I would get the Plague eventually. It was only a matter of time before one of us fell ill.” _

_ Kuro heart was clenching at the thought of losing Lanceae to the illness. But now realized there's nothing he can do. It final stages have already begun settling in, incurable by the healing pods. This was a product of bioengineering, and it was directed at the Alteans. _

_ The once dominant species of this world. _

_ Kuro has been wanting nothing more than to find the perpetrator and make them fix this. There had to have been a cure made right? _

_ “Kuro.” _

_ His name was only spoken once. The demon turned his head back to face Lanceae, giant scaled and furry ears rotating to give his witch his undivided attention. _

_ “The Lance on Earth needs you.” _

_ Kuro was still as he let Lanceae continue. _

_ “I was able to get his location, and his situation is not good.” _

_ Kuro's growling was pleasing to Lanceae. _

_ “His soulmate has yet to bond with him, and I don't think he ever will.” _

_ The low rumbling from before cut off abruptly. _

_ “What do you mean, hasn't bonded yet?! Doesn't he understand Lance was ours?” _

_ Lanceae let a satisfactory smirk pass across his face for a few seconds before releasing it. Kuro hadn't spoken aloud, which was good considering others could be listening in. _

_ “I want you to take advantage of that, Kuro.” _

_ His familiar's demeanor changed from growling rage to kicked puppy. _

_ “I don't want to leave you, here, dying alone.” _

_ Lanceae was counting his lucky stars that he had a familiar and mate as his, not of which was the first time. _

_ “I won't wake up after I fall asleep tonight, my darling.” _

_ Kuro's face fell and Lanceae felt his heart shattering all over again. _

_ “No.” _

_ It was an emotional, quiet denial of the inevitable. _

_ Lanceae reached up then, wrapping his arms around Kuro in what would be one of their last embraces. Both felt the wet warmth of each other's tears drip onto their shoulders, shirts soaking up the salty liquid as it kept coming. Lanceae didn't want to die, he wanted to live, to stay here with his family and Kuro and just be happy. _

_ It just wasn't meant to be. _

_ Lanceae felt the energy draining out of him, what little of there was left leaking out of him through his sorrow. When it felt like he would collapse, a familiar energy filled him up. The soft darkness that was pouring through him, reaching every hidden crevice of Lanceae's soul. The pale blue of his own magic dwindling even as the warm presence of his soulmate comforted him. The Altean opened his eyes as he was lowered back into their bed, the solid weight around him tight enough to ensure Lanceae stayed where he was. Kuro pulled back, looking down at his everything. The light was flickering behind Lanceae's eyes, his essence disappearing more as the tics flew by. The smaller male knew his time was coming to an end, but if there was one last thing he wanted to do before passing over into the afterlife. _

_ “Make love to me one last time, my darling.” _

_ Kuro couldn't deny his mate's last wish. _

  
  


Kuro gritted his teeth as he forced his way through the closing Rift, clawing up and out into cool night air. He panted as he took in his surroundings, noticing the residual magic lingering in the air and in the ground. He lowered his head, sniffing at the ground where he had just risen from. One scent was sort of familiar to him, reminding him of his own while the other was unfamiliar. When the scent of a newly formed bond drifted up into his nose, Kuro’s snout wrinkled as the scent registered.

It looked like his doppelganger went through with the other bond.

Kuro scented the air before following the repugnant smell away from the clearing. He only glanced back once, slightly worried about the lingering magic. He didn’t let it bother him for long, vowing to come back once he had taken care of this world’s Lance.

He followed the scent until it broke off into two trails, splitting just as Kuro is exiting the forest. One led down the dirt road, away from the lights of town while the other went towards civilization. Kuro figured the one leading to the small city would be his best bet, and so made his way there.

The town was cute, cozy in the way small villages were. Kuro kept to the shadows as much as he could, not wanting to draw too much attention to himself as he followed the scent through the streets. It weaved and crossed itself multiple times, before ending and beginning in front of a homey looking shop. He could immediately tell it was a magic shoppe, the energy and feel of the place giving it away. He circled the building before ending in front of the store again, finding no opened paths to enter through. Shops were usually open to all, but given the time of day it could just be closed. 

He backed into the alleyway across the street in a few short strides, hiding in the dark shadows there as he watched the shop. There was a few dim lights towards the back of the store, lighting up the area with a soft orange glow. He picked up faint movement behind the curtain before it was pushed aside and the person stepped forward into the light.

Kuro’s breath caught in his throat as he watch  _ Lance _ walk about the shoppe, tidying up the already clean space before making his way towards the front of the shop to lock the door. The demon wasn’t prepared for Lance looking up and locking gazes with him. Blue eyes widen as they continued to stare at each other. The familiar tilted his head a bit as the staring match continued on before Lance shook his head and turned around. He threw one last look over his shoulder before disappearing behind the gauzy curtain once more.

While Kuro was happy to finally see Lance, his new  _ Lance _ , he couldn’t help but notice the heartbroken and empty look in the witch’s eyes.

The demon was going to do everything in his power to make his Lance smile again.


	2. Isolation and Miscommunication

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance has some silent company while his shop is temporarily closed and will need a new door by the end of it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey. So...I'm not dead and have achieved a brief impulse to write for this. I hope it's up to snuff. Things have been happening irl and it's been pretty draining but we'll see how long this period lasts of inspiration. Unbeta'd.
> 
> Enjoy!

When Lance decided to open his doors once more, only a few weeks had passed. He had restocked his supplies, only leaving once he ran out of food and Hunk refused to bring him anymore. It would’ve been completely uneventful except for the pair of golden eyes that Lance had noticed on the third day of his self imposed isolation. He hadn’t thought anything of it at the time, assuming it to be one of many unattached feline or canine familiars running around. He had been tempted to leave his refuge when it continued to rain after that fateful day, just to check to see if the creature was in need of help. 

 

But he didn’t want to leave, so he stayed inside.

 

The night before had been the deciding factor, when those yellow eyes had peered in at him in what seemed to be an imploring way. They had been gradually getting closer as the days had dragged on until they perched in the windows, more wide set than any normal cat familiar. They were close enough that Lance could now see that the golden glow came from bioluminescent pupils, the sclera pitch black. It was normally at night that Lance could see them framed in his windows. Always staring, never blinking as they followed him. He never felt any fear from them, no ill will. They were a comfort now, and on the eleventh day of his isolation, they were there, breath ghosting across the glass as the warm breath left the beast.

 

This had been the day Lance had unknowingly started a bond.

 

“Who are you?”

 

The eyes didn’t answer, only continued to fog up the clear surface separating whatever it was from Lance. After a few minutes passed, the witch gave up on getting an answer. He made his rounds on the first floor, making sure everything was locked up tight and the lights were dosed. As he made his way upstairs towards his loft, he looked out the window at the top of the stairs that faced the street and had to do a double take. The eyes were there, unblinking and staring into Lance like they knew his secrets. There was no malevolent energy, no negative emotion emanating from the golden gaze. Only a sense of curiosity, of determination. 

 

A need to watch. 

 

Lance kept gazes with them for a few more seconds before turning away. He still needed to get ready for sleep. Maybe eat but he wasn’t really hungry. He’ll just eat in the morning, like he usually does. As he turned away, he caught the eyes receding into the darkness, swallowed up by the night of the full moon. Thinking nothing of it, he proceeded to walk towards his room which was directly above the living area below. He lifted his pajamas up off his bed before he moved into his bathroom and started his nightly routine. He never bothered looking up into the small window that resided above his shower.

 

He should’ve, otherwise he might’ve noticed the same pair of golden orbs watching him.

  
  


From that day forward, Lance continued to talk to the glowing gaze. He had moved passed the curiosity of who exactly had taken such an interest in him. He knew it was a familiar, but since it was never more than a dark, shadowy figure watching him with an unblinking gaze, he could never pinpoint just what kind it was. The only thing he could discern was that it was huge, a solid black creature that would tower over Lance if they we to stand side by side. The witch knew that the other was using a glamour of sorts to distort their image, never letting him get a good look through the crystal glass of the windows. 

 

Countless questions went unanswered and countless more one-sided conversations took place as the days dragged on. Lance’s pain and longing from the shattered almost bond with Shiro started to fade after the first constant week of talking, being replaced with a sense of contentment whenever Lance caught sight of that burning golden gaze. There was another source of magic that appeared around this time, pushing out the other sources of residual magic from Lance’s friends. It was warm, dark, an abyss that Lance did not fear as it leeched itself into his abode. What was the real surprise was that in the beginning of the third and final week of his isolation, he started to feel the broken pieces of his bond start to heal. Maybe it had begun before, but now he could feel it. Feel it mend and flow, reaching out. 

 

Lance had an idea of what it was reaching out towards.

 

That dark magic he had been feeling during the whole time he’s been alone, since that first connection through the windows of his shoppe at the beginning of his isolation. It was responding to the energy that cloaked Lance like a blanket, providing warmth and a connection that Lance didn’t even think was possible anymore.

 

He wanted to meet the creature behind it, the pair of gold eyes that had been watching him since the beginning.

 

“I'd like to meet you,” Lance sighed out to the empty shoppe.

 

For the first time since he began talking to the dark figure, Lance got a response.

 

_ Let me in. For I want to meet you as much as you want to meet me. _

 

Lance had startled at first, unknowing where the voice in his head had come from. Instinctually, his head snapped towards the windows at the front of his shop. There, framed in the glass, was a beast unlike anything the witch had ever seen before. Dark scales covered it’s elongated feline face, traveling down his neck and shoulders, making their way down its front legs before disappearing underneath where the window ended. It’s head was turned towards Lance, giving him a good view of where the scales actually end on his body and head. Long scaled ears were pointed towards him, alert to every sound that was made. The scales continued halfway down the creature’s long torso, giving way to soft-looking black fur that covered the rest of the beast’s body. A long tail traveled down from it’s spine, disappearing before rising back up. The end was split in a fan of silver feather-like appendages that looked sharp enough to cut. The same gold eyes he’s come to love stare back at him, long muzzle slightly ajar to allow its breath to fog up the glass.

 

It’s glamour had worn off.

 

Lance felt the tug, felt the pull of magic from the demon familiar. He now knew what his silent guard looked like, huge and filled with such intense feelings of longing. 

 

The witch could only imagine what it would feel like when there was no longer a barrier between them.

 

Lance approached slowly, hoping not to spook it away in the light of the setting sun. It stayed still, eyes tracking his movement across the store. When Lance got close enough, he stopped and lifted his hand up to press against the glass, right where the demon’s muzzle would be. It observed him for a few seconds before pressing forward, nose smudging the glass as it made contact with the other side of the clear surface. Lance couldn’t help but wonder what it would feel like to actually touch this amazing creature.

 

_ Open your doors tomorrow and I will come for you. _

 

Lance swallowed before nodding.

 

“Anything for you.”

 

The demon mirrored the movement before moving back, allowing itself to be consumed by the shadows stretching across the ground. Only his eyes remained, a promise that they will be here until Lance let’s them in.

 

____________________________________

 

After Lance makes his rounds, restocking last minute items and cleaning the place up, he calls Hunk.

 

“Lance!”

 

“Heya Hunk.”

 

Lance could hear the relief in his friend’s voice and he couldn’t help but feel a little guilty. After he had told Hunk everything, from the feelings he’s had since first meeting Shiro all the way up to being heartbroken by the breaking of the meant to be bond. His best friend had been there the whole first week, helping Lance take care of temporarily closing shop to recover from the shock of the ordeal. Hunk had known something was up with Lance for a while, how he had always lit up like the sun when the used-to-be-unattached familiar was around. 

 

“What’s up Lance? It’s been awhile since you called.”

 

“I’m opening my shop up tomorrow.”

 

Lance could hear something drop on the other end before an excited yell came through the line.

 

“That’s awesome Lance! I’m going to start baking and you can put them in your shop on the display. I can head over in the morning and help you set up. Or I can just-”

 

“Hunk, buddy. Breathe.”

 

Hunk gave a sheepish laugh before continuing.

 

“Sorry, bud! It's just be awhile since you cut off contact with everything and it's good to hear that you're coming back into the world.”

 

“I guess.”

 

“We were all really worried about you, ya know? Especially Pidge, although she would never tell you. She wanted to break into your place and set cameras and spells and stuff up to keep an eye on you. She's still upset you kept something that big from us.”

 

Lance sighed before glancing out the front windows again. 

 

“It wasn't something I wanted out in the open.”

 

Hunk made a noise of disagreement as he answered. 

 

“I understand why but the hurt could've been avoided, for both parties.”

 

Lance felt himself freeze, thoughts jumping to Shiro.

 

“Shiro's hurting?”

 

Hunk immediately tried denying it but gave up in the end.

 

“Yeah. Him and Keith have tried to convince us to let them see you but I figured that wasn't the best idea, considering.”

 

Lance released the breath he'd been holding in a rough exhale. 

 

“Thanks Hunk.”

 

“No problem! But I'm still coming over in the morning to help you out! I'll have Pidge help spread the word so that you have some business. There's a lot of people who have been disgruntled by your leave.”

 

Lance laughed.

 

“Then let's not keep them waiting any longer!”

 

_________________

 

True to his word, Hunk was there the next morning bright and early, a bag full of homemade cookies and treats. While his friend set up the goodies on a display near the cash register, Lance finished tidying up the front. He wasn't going to open until his usual time of 9:00 AM, but when a few excited customers arrived a few minutes early he went ahead and opened the door.

 

Hunk stayed for most of the day, helping sort orders of charms, trinkets, and potions. A few of the customers exclaimed their worry for their favorite shopkeeper, explaining how happy they were to see him and his shoppe open again. Lance smiled and laughed with the others in his store, relieved to be selling his wares once more and enjoying the happiness that his shoppe brought to people.

 

It was towards the end of the day that it happened. Lance was finishing up his last order when the chimes above the store sounded. He finished wrapping up the small package of goodies and sent the little old lady on her way, making sure to tell her to come back for more whenever she liked. It was when the woman was gone that Lance realized he hadn’t seen the customer who just walked in. Leaving his post from behind his desk, he made his way to the front of the store. 

 

He barely made it three steps before he froze, muscles locking in place as he took in the sight of Shiro’s back. Lance wasn’t ready to face him yet, still trying to mend the pieces of his unfinished bond. But something wasn’t sitting right in Lance’s gut.

 

This man was a lot more familiar than Shiro was. 

 

The witch felt the presence before the man moved, closing and locking the shoppe door before turning towards Lance. 

 

Lance knew those golden eyes.

 

When the bond sparked to life inside of Lance, he wasn’t prepared. He just stared, dumbstruck as not-Shiro grinned at him, turning away from the shoppe door that he had just closed and locked. With a grace that surprised the shopkeeper, the other man made his way towards Lance, weaving in and out of the tight shelves crowding the front of the store. The witch was expecting the small creatures that lined the inside of his store to come to life. The small dragons lining the top shelf of the bewitched trinkets would let out warning sparks while the small fairies bound to their jewelry would flitter about towards Lance to warn him of impending danger.

 

There was no reaction at all.

 

Lance could only stand there, as if trapped by some kind of spell. As the man got closer, Lance took the time to notice the differences between this doppelganger and Shiro. The longer hair tied back into a low ponytail, the undercut and white bangs still present. Instead of the normal cat ears that Shiro sported, this familiar had long, tall, and scaled ears that were lined with silver piercings and small chains. His tail was swaying slightly, flashing silver as it caught the lights in the shoppe.

 

The man stopped with less than a foot between them, gold eyes holding Lance captive as he lifted his hands up towards the witch’s face. His hands were smooth on the palms as they ghosted over Lance’s face before coming to rest firmly against his cheeks, thumbs placed under his chin to lift his head up even more. While the insides of the demon’s hands were soft, the outsides were lined with the same scales as were on his ears and that had covered his other form last night.

 

A scar lined his face just like on Shiro’s, only this one was more ragged and stretched even further across his head, the right side reaching all the way into his hairline.

 

Lance was finally able to find his voice.

 

“Who are you?”

 

The man smiled at the question, remembering that it was the exact same thing that Lance had asked him when they had first met through the glass and he was close enough to touch him.

 

“My name is Kuro, and from now on you are mine.”

  
  


Kuro’s smile widened as what he just said settled into Lance’s mind. Even after hearing his bold declaration, there was no fear in the witch’s scent and energy, none flashing through his warm blue eyes.

 

And what a scent it was too.

 

Kuro breathed deeply, taking in the warm, cinnamon scent of his soon to be witch. There was an undertone of vanilla, reminding the Familiar of homemade dessert and of his Lanceae.

 

Lanceae would've loved Lance.

 

Kuro picked out the differences between his lost witch and his new one. Lance had warm chestnut hair where Lanceae had silver white, deep blue eyes that were darker than the Altean’s, smooth, tan skin versus paling, white skin, round ears where Lanceae's were pointed. But the demon choose not to linger on appearances. This was Lance, the Witch that needed him. There was no point in lingering on the past when this young man in front of him needed him.

 

It just sucked that the moment had to be ruined.

 

The front door slammed open, lock shattered as a very angry Keith stormed inside, eyes blazing. He was followed closely by a frantic Shiro.

 

“Get away from him, you fucking demon!”

 

“Keith-”

 

Both men faltered at what stood before them. 

 

Kuro had turned around at the interruption, placing himself between the two newcomers and Lance. He bared his teeth at the duo, ears flickering back in distaste and tail flashing silver as it waved off to the side. His scales appeared on his hands tenfold, spreading upwards as his fingernails turned into deadly claws.

 

“Why the hell does it look like you Shiro?!”

 

The other familiar seemed speechless, staring at the demon from where they stopped, frozen, in front of the broken door. Kuro locked gazes with his doppelganger, letting his aura seep out to warn the two intruders that they were not welcome here.

 

_ “Leave.” _

 

That seemed to snap Shiro out of his daze but before the other could speak Keith stepped forward, hands balled into fists with anger painted across his face.

 

“I won't ask again, demon.  _ Move away from Lance.” _

 

Kuro wanted nothing more than to tear into the other familiar, the other witch. Could they not see the pain they had caused Lance? The fire witch had taken away one of the only things that would've made Lance feel whole.

 

The demon wasn't going to let them force the only other one that could bond with Lance and make him understand that Fate had not abandoned him.

 

But before he could move forward, there was a soft pressure on his tense left hand. He briefly glanced down, some of the tension leaving his body as he took in the warm hand wrapped around his own.

 

“Please, no fighting.”

 

Kuro let the rest of his body relax, angling his body to allow Lance to step forward next to him. The witch didn't let go of his hand, so the demon uncurled his own and laced their fingers together and giving the other a light squeeze before focusing back on the other two in the room.

 

“Why are you two here?”

 

Keith faltered a bit before taking another step forward.

 

“We haven't seen you for almost a month, you cut off communication with us, and you reopen your store without telling us. We've been worried sick about you but Hunk and Pidge wouldn't let us near you and wouldn't tell us why. You need to tell us what happened. Did we do anything wrong? You need to tell us so we can fix it!”

 

Lance was stunned, silent as Keith continued his worried rant.

 

“And now there's a demon here that used the leftover energy from our bonding ceremony to crawl out of the depths of hell!”

 

Kuro tensed again and Keith's glare intensified.

 

“Keith, stop it.”

 

Keith's angry stare didn't change as he made eye contact with his Familiar.

 

“Aren't you a little concerned with the actual demon standing near Lance? He could get hurt!”

 

“I can hear you, ya know!”

 

“Shut up Lance! You have no room to talk at the moment!”

 

Kuro's arm went up to stop Lance from walking forward towards the other two, their role reversed. Lance glanced at Kuro before focusing his angry look at the duo in front of them. 

 

“I think it's best for you two to leave.”

 

“Not until we find out what's wrong and we make sure you're safe away from this demon.”

 

“I'm perfectly capable of making that decision for myself. And I'd rather not talk about that with you.”

 

“So it has to do with us!”

 

“Not both of you…”

 

There was a look of confusion that clouded Keith's face before he looked to Shiro. Kuro watched as guilty realization crossed over the familiar’s face and felt satisfaction at seeing the fire witch turn on him.

 

“What happened, Shiro?”

 

Shiro looked between Keith and Lance before settling a look of devastation on Lance.

 

“I broke our soul bond…”

 

The silence was deafening. Kuro could hear his heart thundering in his chest. He had been hoping that his doppelganger had just been oblivious, that maybe something could be worked out.

 

But now that he know the other was deliberate and aware in his choices all bets were off the table.

 

The silence was broken by Keith.

 

“What do you mean, you broke your soul bond? You told me you hadn't…” Keith trailed off before looking at Lance, his own look of horror and anger painting its way across the other's face. But the fire witch’s anger was no longer directed at Lance and Kuro.

 

It was focused on his own familiar.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please write some comments. That's literally what gave me this burst of inspiration. I came back to see what was happening and all those comments on the first chapter were so nice and lovely. Which I will reply to all as soon as I am able.
> 
> Thank you and see you next time!

**Author's Note:**

> I love comments and it feeds my soul when I read them.


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